The SoundScapes approach to STEAM education/es

¿Te has preguntado alguna vez cómo sonaría el brillo de las estrellas o los pensamientos de alguien? Aunque estos fenómenos no producen ondas sonoras, pueden traducirse en sonido mediante la sonificación, que exploraremos como herramienta para la educación inclusiva. Este enfoque es fundamental en el aprendizaje basado en proyectos STEAM (ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería, artes y matemáticas), ya que desplaza el foco de la memorización hacia el desarrollo de habilidades. Muchos estudiantes se sienten desmotivados debido a la falta de aplicaciones prácticas, y el proyecto SoundScapes aborda este problema involucrando a los estudiantes en STEM a través del sonido y la música. Al enseñar técnicas de sonificación, SoundScapes aumenta el interés y fomenta las habilidades cognitivas, sociales y emocionales, proporcionando una experiencia de aprendizaje divertida y holística que promueve la creatividad, la colaboración y la autoestima de forma sostenible.

Educación STEAM

La enseñanza STEM es un enfoque interdisciplinario en la educación que fomenta el desarrollo de habilidades y competencias en múltiples campos interrelacionados a través del aprendizaje basado en proyectos, con el fin de resolver de forma responsable los problemas y retos reales de nuestra sociedad. Por muy amplio que sea, sigue sin ser el marco más completo para el desarrollo de muchas otras habilidades y competencias transversales importantes para la vida, como la resolución de problemas, el pensamiento crítico, la colaboración y la creatividad, ya que puede pasar por alto muchos de los intereses, pasiones y talentos de los estudiantes, como los que abarcan las artes, las ciencias sociales y las humanidades. La metodología STEAM encarna un enfoque más integral, que entrelaza los campos STEM con las artes para cultivar una experiencia de aprendizaje más integrada e interactiva que fomente una amplia gama de habilidades cognitivas, sociales y emocionales.

La expresión artística ofrece un gran potencial para desarrollar habilidades académicas, emocionales y sociales fundamentales, como la creatividad, la colaboración, la comunicación, la autoestima, la confianza, la tolerancia, la empatía, etc.. Por este motivo, la educación STEAM se está generalizando, y las escuelas de todo el mundo están adoptando formas nuevas, creativas y más inclusivas de implementarla en el aula. No obstante, la incorporación de las artes en STEAM suele seguir siendo simbólica o superficial, centrándose principalmente en la estética, lo que ofrece una amplia oportunidad para profundizar en todo el potencial educativo de las artes. Al mismo tiempo, aunque el enfoque STEAM es cada vez más popular, a muchos docentes les resulta difícil fusionar múltiples disciplinas en un proyecto cohesionado, lo que les provoca sentimientos de desánimo y confusión. Si bien no es obligatorio centrarse en todas las disciplinas STEAM en un único proyecto, sigue siendo posible hacerlo y SoundScapes está pensado para facilitarlo. Pero, ¿cómo implementar STEAM? Una forma significativa y eficaz de implementar STEAM es a través del método del pensamiento de diseño.

La metodología de Pensamiento de Diseño

El enfoque del proyecto SoundScapes respecto a la educación STEAM sigue los cuatro pasos del «Design Thinking» (inspirado en la iniciativa «Design for Change»): Sentir – Imaginar – Crear y Compartir Tanto si participas en un proyecto breve como en uno extenso, que puede durar desde un par de horas hasta un año completo, estos pasos se mantienen constantes. Es importante reconocer que, al igual que muchos procesos artísticos, este no es siempre un recorrido estrictamente lineal; en ocasiones, es posible que vayas y vengas entre las etapas de Sentir, Imaginar, Crear y Compartir.

Design Thinking can be applied across various levels within the educational institution. For instance, the school administration can use it to address organizational issues. Teachers can employ it in lesson planning to develop more meaningful approaches to teaching. And students can use it to create impactful projects within their school or wider community in a creative and engaging way. Regardless of the viewpoint, the methodology typically remains consistent.

Feel

alt=Design thinking FEEl

The Feel phase is the first step of the design thinking approach to a problem/topic. It entails thorough research and a deep understanding of its impact on individuals and communities from diverse perspectives. This marks the beginning of the creative journey, requiring a thoughtful selection of the approach to problem-solving. Thus, it involves empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking, as well as a comprehensive investigation of the issue from different angles and collaborative research and exploration.

When starting to explore a new problem or a topic of interest for students and their school/wider community, many questions arise naturally out of curiosity which directly relate to school curricula content even without having realized it immediately. For instance, if students are particularly concerned about the health of the natural ecosystems around school, they may face questions such as “What is the importance of protecting the environment?”, and “What are the many sources of pollution locally?”, etc. Answering these questions implies a basic understanding of a wide range of STEAM concepts, particularly in the fields of biology, ecology, energy, geography, history, etc. Motivate students to reflect collaboratively about the problem and to start their own research to gather as much information as they can about it. Research can take any form, including surveys to the community, visits to expert facilities, literature, documentaries, online labs and activities, or anything else which helps students to deepen their understanding of the problem.

In the SoundScapes context, we need to keep in mind that the end product of the whole Design thinking process must partially consist of a sonification protocol and its output. You will learn about this in detail in the next chapters. For now, it suffices to say that the sonification output can feed from data collected during the FEEL phase (e.g. light pollution data). As soon as you start collecting data, more ideas will come up along the way.

Imagine

alt=Design thinking IMAGINE

The IMAGINE phase is dedicated to envisioning possible solutions to the problem or topic explored during the FEEL phase. As such, it involves considering the target audience, and project timeframe and scale. This is also the moment to brainstorm ideas and to collaborate with others, especially with those who are directly involved in the problem, as well as those who can contribute with diverse perspectives and ideas.

Create an open space for discussing and exploring ideas and use mind-mapping tools or any other tools which can help students to express themselves freely. Ask students to share their vision on how to approach the problem/topic and help them keep track of any new ideas which may arise. It is important to find what’s common between them to promote collaboration. To promote inclusion in the classroom it is important to offer multiple means of expression. Students can register their ideas in words, or in other formats, like drawings, music, paintings, etc. Exploring technological and digital tools, like the ones introduced in the following chapters can also trigger students’ imagination.

In the SoundScapes context, envisioning possible solutions consists partially on (1) explaining how the sonification output will somehow help to solve the problem (e.g. raise awareness about the light pollution), (2) designing the sonification protocol, (3) designing an input data collection device (if necessary) or (4) a complete real-time sonification system.

Create

alt=Design thinking IMAGINE

The CREATE phase is where ideas and plans envisioned during the IMAGINE phase are brought to life. A decision must have already been taken about what ideas are the most suitable to approach the problem/topic. If not, it might be necessary to revisit the FEEL and IMAGINE phases. If you are set, make groups and get your hands dirty! This is the moment to start collecting tools and resources, organize ideas, and start giving them shape. While it is recommended to have a well structured plan, it is also important to allow for flexibility, as ideas can evolve during the process. Strategies include designing a step-by-step plan, predicting challenges, analyzing progress, and adjusting the plan as needed. It is also helpful (and fun!) to document everything in a journal, including pictures and videos.

If students have not yet explored any sonification tools before, this is also the right moment to start and finalize their explorations of the SoundScapes’ proposed tools and sonify their data. There are many components to the creation phase and to data sonification, so not everyone has to contribute in the same way. Some students may want to simply write some code, or learn more about acoustics and music theory, while others wish to improve their

Share

alt=Design thinking IMAGINE

The SHARE phase is the final step in the design thinking methodology. This is where the ideas and the results of the process (and whenever meaningful, the process too) are presented to the target audience. Therefore, it is necessary to decide how to present and to whom, which involves creating a dissemination plan and developing marketing skills, together with communication and creativity skills. Importantly, the Sharing phase also includes the celebration of the project's outcomes.

There are many possible ways of sharing the final results of the project, for instance through videos, theater, songs, art exhibitions, conferences and interactive sound installations or live performances in general. In the context of soundscapes, two important aspects of the result are the sonification protocol and its sound output. Sharing the sonification protocol is crucial for understanding the sonification output. Neglecting this, can undermine the whole purpose of sharing. Importantly, be inclusive and allow for multiple means of expression, as this phase is a great opportunity for students to shine with their unique talents and reach a diverse audience. Moreover, although the sonification output is a key element in the context of SoundScapes it can also serve to complement other forms of expression as well, for instance as the soundtrack of a documentary, or a theater play.

Sharing at a local or international level can occur simultaneously. This phase plays a vital role in enriching the entire process and it is crucial for gathering valuable feedback, helpful for discussing the significance of the results, the meaningfulness of the process and to guide decisions on whether to revisit the entire process, or replicate it at a different scale, with a different target audience, etc. Sharing amplifies the educational value, helping students to better internalize the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and competencies acquired in the process, as well as to find joy in the creative journey. This also fosters a sense of pride in their accomplishments, which further nurtures their motivation to learn and their community-oriented mindset. Engaging the local community and families is a great opportunity to transcend mere passive support, providing an avenue for knowledge exchange and mutual empowerment when addressing local issues.

References

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